The question is with only one football, which one will carry the load for the Cougars tonight and the rest of the season.

"It's a good problem to have, isn't it?" coach Mike Gottman said after Durant's 36-0 win against Brandon last week.

Indeed it is. Area fans have known about Hamilton, a senior, for some time now. But now they — and opposing defenses — are becoming acquainted with Atkins, a sophomore.

"It's great having the both of us back there," Atkins said. "Whoever gets the ball, the other one just blocks hard for him."

The duo gives the 3-0 Cougars different looks. Hamilton is a bruiser, while Atkins is more of a slasher. And in the Cougars' run-heavy attack, that spells trouble for opposing defenses.

"You can tell that they play off each other very well," Gottman said. "They're both very unselfish players."

Coming off a team-high 1,117 yards rushing, Hamilton is again pacing the Cougars with 384 through the first three games while Atkins has pitched in 310. With both typically sharing the backfield, defenses must be prepared to stop both on each play.

"I've got his back," Atkins said. "And he has mine."

The Cougars will get their stiffest test to date when they travel tonight to face undefeated Wharton (3-0). Although the season is young, Atkins boldly said he believes the Cougars have what it takes to capture the school's first-ever state title.

"I've said it before," he said. "I think this team can go undefeated and win a state championship. I believe that."

Why you should go: Darryl Richardson. After an up and down first year at Armwood last season, Richardson seems to be finding his groove. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound signal caller has thrown 11 touchdowns to just four interceptions this season, including a school-record five TDs last week.

Why you should go: Will Worth makes the offense tick, but John Hendricks is a bulldozer of a back who also makes people miss. Hendricks ran for 86 yards on just eight carries against East Bay last week.

Jesuit (2-2) at Spoto (1-2)

Last week: Jesuit defeated Blake 14-0; Spoto defeated Middleton 8-0.

Why you should go: Andrew Henry leads Spoto with 136 rushing yards and scored the lone Spartans' TD last week in Spoto's first win of the season.